First? Hardly. Over 5 years ago Viziv Technologies in Texas was wireless broadcasting power around the entire globe in small amounts, while they were testing. Today they have built the first surface wave transmitter in Milford, Texas. Microwave emitters and receivers are child's play.

This sounds most useful for powering installations in hard-to-access areas where running wire or trucking in fuel for a generator is right out, and solar panels are too small or expensive. (Extra cell towers in mountainous areas?) But it will still need a battery back for all the times when the anti-bird-frying circuitry cuts in.

what could go wrong.. 100kw microwave beams... there is a darwin award winner from decades ago up in Alaska with gigantic microwave relays... the guard there used to get close to the antennas because it was nice and warm..but then over the Holidays they amplified the power which he didnt know so his normal distance instantly microwaved him... and making him a winner of that year's darwin award. I wonder what happens when the first low flying military jet gets into this beam... whether the system will be shut down fast enough is yet to see... good luck with that. Also if you are beaming 100s of kw through and the system does a full shut down with every bird that flies through that's quite a spotty performance...

WB's comment says pretty much everything I wanted to say.

I'd listen to 'WB'. I can hardly wait to read the inevitable studies identifying all sorts of harm to "in range" fauna caused by WPT.

This sounds like preparation for space based solar. Actually, the beam for space based solar has a much smaller interaction volume per unit power.

Nikola Tesla investigated the great pyramid in Egypt as a probable original use power transmission. Many reasons for this, that archaeological findings continue to corroborate. If true (as seems likely), wireless high power electricity in use over 5000 years ago.

Geez, it's lucky companies like this are attempting to innovate and push things forward. Judging by the comments here it's all either been done before or has too many insurmountable obstacles so we should all just give up and go home. Looking forward to seeing this up and running.

A waste of money as one can't get that narrow a beam at any distance. And saying rain won't hurt microwave transmission is just a lie. If that was true then a bird wouldn't have a problem either as it's the water in it that soaks up the microwaves and why they show up on radar.

Great article! My thoughts are related to weather disturbances that might create havoc - I understand birds and swirling leaves interfering with line of sight, what about snow or sleet? Will really bad weather or excessive smoke and shear winds created by forest fire thermals affect the performance? I'd hate to imagine a pilot having to fly a jet through such a beam for more than a second or two - my fear would be they could eject into the beam if they were so close to the ground in the first place. But awesome article, including the hype of the 'first' ever moniker.